Composite fan hub



NOV. 10, V SPROUSE COMPOSITE FAN HUB I Filed Dec. 20, 1949 IIIIIIIIIIII"INVENTOR, VERNER E Spnouss,

fiTOR NEY.

Patented Nov. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES rrEN'r OFFICE COMPOSITE FAN HUBVerner E. Sprouse, Columbus, Ind,

Application December 20, 1949, Serial No. 134,053

This invention relates to a composite driving hub used in one particularinstance as a means for mounting a fan and driving the fan from a driveshaft.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a hub constructionwhich will be extremely durable in usage and at the same time berelatively simple and of a low cost of production. In this regard, theinvention provides a structure which may be formed through simpleoperations in the absence of turning over beads, or lips requiring anadidtional operation over and above a drawing operation of a sheet metalpart.

A further important object of the invention is to provide a simpleinterlocking means between two members of the hub, and simultaneouslysecuring the hub to its driving shaft.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent to those versed in the art in the following description of oneparticular form of the invention as illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, in which Fig. 1 is a view in fragmentary front elevation of astructure embodying the invention; and

Fig. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale in section on the line '/Z2 inFig. 1.

A circular metallic disk 10 has a central neck ii formed to extendintegrally therefrom on a central axis perpendicular to the faces of thedisk it. has its rear end portion l2 terminating in a plane parallel tothe front face is of the disk Iii. The longitudinal length of this necki l is made to be substantially less than the over-all length of the hubitself. In the present showing, the longitudinal length of this neck 5 Eis made to approximate half the length of the finished hub. This ofcourse is subject to variation depending upon the conditions to beencountered, under which the hub is to be used.

A hub core generally designated by the numeral It is axially boredthroughout its length to a diameter to receive the driving shaft I5,Fig. 2. A rear portion of the hub i4 is provided with an externalcircumferential portion l 6 having a diameter substantially equal to thediameter of the external portion of the neck ii. The remaininglongitudinal length of the core I4 is provided with a reduced diametersurface if, this portion being made of that diameter which will permitit to be entered through the inside of the neck I l.

The outer end portion of the hub core M, the left-hand end as viewed inFig. 2, is provided with a still further reduced diameter circumfer-This neck H is tubular in nature and 1 Claim. (Cl. 170173) entialsurface it. The diameter of this surface I8 is made to be such that itmay be snugly slipped through the bore E9 of the object to be mounted onthe hub, herein shown as a fan spider 20. Thus this portion It will forma pilot, central aligning bearing for the spider 20.

The longitudinal length of the circumferential portion H is made to beapproximately the length of the distance between the neck face l2 andthe outer or left-hand face is of the disk it. Preferably this length isa few thousandths at least less than that distance so that the spider2i! may be fitted on the portion It and allowed to come into contactwith the face it without being held thereaway by the shoulder 2! at thejunction of the circumferential surfaces i1 and i8. As indicated in thedrawing, Fig. 2, the hub core I4 is provided with a break 22 between theshoulder 2i and the surface H.

The neck I i is telescoped over the hub core surface 11, to have itsrear face i2 come into abutment with the radial face 23 appearingbetween the surfaces 6 and IT. This face 23 serves as a positivelimiting stop to locate the neck H on the surface I! to have the face itsubstantially within the plane of the shoulder 2!. The neck 1! i issecured to the surface I! by any suitable means such as by soldering orbrazing to have the soldering or brazing material 24 flow in between theinner face of the neck H and the surface H to form an intimate bondtherebetween. Entrance between those surfaces is facilitated by reasonof the fact that there is a radius 25 formed between the disk [8 and theneck H in the drawing or forming operation to extend the neck I! fromthe disk it.

The fan spider 20 is fixed to the disk In by any suitable means such asby rivets 26 removed from the longitudinal axis through the hub core Mto an outer portion of the disk In. It is intended that the shaft [5 berotated in that direction which will cause the reactive pressure of thespider 20 to be directed toward the face l3 of the disk H]. In thismanner, the rivet 26 will provide the rotative interconnection drivingmeans between the spider 20 and the disk iii.

The combined hub core [4 and the neck ll, then being to all intents andpurposes an integral combination is bored radially from one side,centrally of the junction of the faces l2 and 23 to receivescrew-threadedly through the core portion M a set screw 21. The setscrew forms at least one means of drivingly attaching the hub core [4 tothe driving shaft [5. By locating the set screw 21 as indicated, itdrives both the neck H as well as the core l4, so that the driving ofthe disk It! is not only through the intervening material 24, but alsois driven by the set screw 21. In other words the set screw drives theneck I I in a circumferential manner as well as it does the hub core l4.The material 24 then has but the one strain imposed upon it, and that isany tendency of the neck II to slip along the surface I! to the left,which would be in the direction normally opposite to the thrust on thedisk l0.

While I have herein shown and described my invention in the oneparticular form, it is obvious that structural variations may beemployed without departing from the spirit of the invention, and Itherefore do not desire to be limited to that precise form beyond thelimitations which may be imposed by the following claim.

I claim:

A fan mounting comprising a three step, cylindrical hub core having amajor constant diameter rear end portion, a minor constant diameterfront end portion, and an intermediate constant diameter portion betweensaid major and minor diameter portions; a shoulder at the rear end ofsaid minor diameter portion; a second shoulder at the rear end of saidintermediate diameter portion; a hub neck having a bore therethroughsubstantially equal in diameter to said core intermediate diameter; saidhub neck being entered over said core minor and intermediate diameterportions and surrounding said intermediate diameter portion only withthe rear 4 end of the hub neck abutting said second shoulder, theoverall length of said hub neck axially of said core being substantiallythat of said intermediate diameter portion between said two shoulders;means operatively connected to said hub core for retaining said hub neckin abutment with said second shoulder; a fan spider having a centralbore, receiving said core minor diameter portion therethrough to centerthe spider on the core; a member extending from said hub neck in a planesubstantially normal to the axis of said core at said first shoulder;said spider bearing by its rear face against said hub neck member andalso bearing against said first shoulder to have thrust of the spidertaken through said hub neck against said second shoulder; and meanssecuring the spider to said hub neck member.

VERNER E. SPBOUSE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,415,542 Fuegel et a1. May 9, 1922 1,466,948 Bryant Sept. 4,1923 1,888,681 Lauszat Nov. 22, 1932 2,290,011 Bahr July 14, 19422,409,385 Pletcher Oct. 15, 1946 2,487,128 Hahn Nov. 8, 1949 2,497,242Sprouse Feb. 14, 1950

